Issue 30, 2024

Controlled nanocrystallization of gold nanoclusters within surfactant envelopes: enhancing aggregation-induced emission in solution

Abstract

The nanocrystallization of functional molecules has been a subject of recent interest in the current development of nanotechnology. Herein, we report the unprecedented synthesis of single nanocrystals of a molecular gold nanocluster in a homogeneous solution by using surfactant-based nano-envelopes. The co-assembling of a Au8 nanocluster carrying lipophilic phosphine ligands with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in an aqueous solution results in the formation of sphere-shaped amorphous nano-aggregates coated with the surfactant. Upon sonication, the spherical amorphous aggregates are smoothly shape-shifted into discrete rhombic nanocrystals, which can be tracked by TEM and solution XRD. The transformation into single nanocrystals occurs exclusively without further growth or agglomeration, implying that the crystal growth is restricted within the surfactant nano-envelopes. The robust but flexible nature of the wrapped surfactant is likely responsible for the controlled crystallization. We also demonstrate that the amorphous-to-nanocrystalline transition in solution remarkably enhances the photoluminescence emission from the nanocluster, providing a clear example of crystallization-induced emission enhancement. Notably, the obtained nanocrystals showed high stability in solution and retained their shape, size, and PL intensity even after several months, owing to the densely packed surfactant shell. The present surfactant-directed nanocrystallization method may be applicable to other molecular species to contribute to the development of nanocluster science as well as the designed synthesis of nanomaterials.

Graphical abstract: Controlled nanocrystallization of gold nanoclusters within surfactant envelopes: enhancing aggregation-induced emission in solution

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
29 4 2024
Accepted
23 6 2024
First published
24 6 2024
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2024,15, 11775-11782

Controlled nanocrystallization of gold nanoclusters within surfactant envelopes: enhancing aggregation-induced emission in solution

Y. Saito, A. Suda, M. Sakai, S. Nakajima, Y. Shichibu, H. Kanai, Y. Ishida and K. Konishi, Chem. Sci., 2024, 15, 11775 DOI: 10.1039/D4SC02834A

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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